Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all
people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the
development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations,
and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people, including a racial,
ethnic, or a socioeconomic group, should bear a disproportionate share of the
negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and
commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal
programs and policies.

Meaningful involvement means that:

(1)

potentially
affected community residents have an appropriate opportunity to participate in
decisions about a proposed activity that will affect their environment and/or
health;

(2)

the public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's
decision;

(3)

the concerns of all participants involved will be considered in
thedecision making process; and

(4)

the decision makers seek out and facilitate
the involvement of those potentially affected.1

White House Executive Order 12898 requires each
federal agency to make
environmental justice a part of its mission by identifying and addressing
disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its
programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income
populations in the United States and its territories. The
Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Environmental Justice, established by
this executive order, is charged with reducing disparities between minority and
non-minority communities in exposure to hazards including lead, toxic waste, air
pollution, and pesticides.2
These exposures are associated with a variety of ailments including asthma,
birth defects, and cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry
(CDC/ATSDR) are committed
to documenting and correcting disparities in exposure to hazardous materials and
ensuring environmental justice for minority and low-income communities.
CDC/ATSDR's
mission is to prevent harm to human health and diminished quality of life from
exposure to hazardous substances found at waste sites, in unplanned releases,
and in other sources of pollution present in the environment.
CDC/ATSDR identifies
communities where people might be exposed to hazardous substances in the
environment, determines the site's
hazards, and recommends
actions that need to be taken to safeguard the health of community members.
CDC/ATSDR works with communities, environmental groups, tribal governments and
local, state, and other federal agencies, including the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to protect the public health.

The two areas of minority health and environmental justice focus attention on the
environmental and human health condition in communities of color, low-income
communities, and other communities that have concerns about improving health and
quality of life related to environmental threats. CDC/ATSDR works to educate members of
these communities about their risk, and collaborates in training minorities for
health professions in order to enhance programs that will improve the health
status of minority groups.

The Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD) supports CDC/ATSDR’s
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) in its mission to promote
health and quality of life by preventing or controlling those diseases or deaths
that result from interactions between people and their environments. NCEH
applies epidemiological methodology to communities at risk for hazardous
exposures, implements educational programs for those at risk for exposure, and
helps to formulate environmental policy.

Workplace safety and
exposure is a serious issue
for minorities. The
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the
federal agency responsible for conducting research and making
recommendations for the prevention of work-related disease and injury.
NIOSH is responsible for conducting research on the full scope of
occupational disease and injury ranging from lung disease in miners to
carpal tunnel syndrome in computer users.

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not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by
CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred.The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual
organization Web pages found at these links.